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Archive for the ‘Rasam’ Category

This is a very quick recipe that I make when we catch a cold or feel sick or tired. But last week N and Junior N went out to swim as daddy wanted to teach R swimming and I had volunteered to make muffins(for cupcakes) for R’s school(till primary age) for Easter.With over a 100 muffins to make and decorate, this was the quick recipe I could think of to go with rice for dinner. At the end it was good that I made the rasam as I was tired of making 120 muffins and I ended up having the rasam too, to give me the energy boost

A quick look of a portion of the muffins:

This rasam does not need any dal and this is almost like a version of mysore rasam. This is very quick to make say 5-10 minutes, even if you have guests who arrive unannounced for dinner, you can make this like a soup.

Toast all the ingredients in list 1 except garlic and tomato to a golden brown color. Transfer to a blender. Toast the garlic separately. Grind the toasted ingredients to a coarse powder and add toasted garlic and fresh tomato, grind it to a smooth paste. Mix tamarind water to this paste.

Heat ghee in a pan add jeera, when it splutters add curry leaves and hing. When they sizzle, reduce the flame and pour the tomato-garlic-tamarind mix, add salt and let it simmer for 10 minutes till the rasam is frothy and the aroma of rasam boiling hits you Switch off and cover(to seal the aroma). Serve with papad,rice and ghee with any accompaniment of your choice. Or you can even drink it like a soup. The toasted dal is like a rasam powder but you do not need any cooked mashed dal to give it the thickness as the powder will do that job!

Yeah, I know..You did a double check on the title. That is what N did too, when he heard what I was planning to make for lunch for him couple of years back. Tomato rasam, Garlic Rasam, Lemon rasam are all well known. But this cauliflower rasam is my mom’s speciality. Every summer, when our house was invaded by cousins of all ages, this rasam was one of their favorites and all you can hear was the slurping noises

My mom finally let us know that since we were not very fond of cauliflower’s at that time and given the fact that we lived in Ooty at that time and cauliflowers were as huge as they can get, and not wanting to waste those gorgeous white beauties, mom cooked up(!!) this recipe. It is a perfect combination of lemon and spices with a hint of garlic. And I carry on the tradition of making this rasam, for my now grown up cousins when they visit us.

From our garden, Cauliflower and Broccoli are the only vegetables that has survived the freezing temperatures!!

Wash the fresh Cauliflower florets well and let them be in a chunky size(do not chop them into tiny cubes).

Finely chop the tomato. Finely chop the garlic.

In a sauce pan, add about 4 cups of water, chopped tomatoes, slit green chilies, garlic, turmeric powder, rasam powder, salt, mango slice and cauliflower florets and cover and let them simmer for 15-20 minutes(till cauliflower is tender and the water has reduced a bit)

Mash the cooked tuvar dal with a cup of water. Pour this tuvar dal in to the saucepan and let it simmer for another 5 minutes or till the dal turns frothy on top. Switch off. Check for salt, if needed add a pinch of pepper powder.

In a pan, add ghee and cumin seeds, when it starts to sizzle, add curry leaves. Pour this entire mixture on top the rasam.

Pour the lemon juice on top, mix well and taste if the rasam is has enough flavors of lemon.

Garnish with cilantro leaves. Serve hot as it as like a soup. This rasam is best eaten with a steaming bowl of rice and a dollop of ghee with either okras, eggplants or with potatoes stir fried on the side.

You can also use frozen cauliflower, but if using frozen cauliflower, add them a couple of minutes after the first stage of rasam is boiling, else the cauliflower will turn out completely mashed.

People suggest eating an apple a day to keep healthy and I suggest eating/drinking this garlic rasam for this chilly day, especially if you have a cold like me..(Achooo..) ..But before we dig in, let me ask you a few questions first.

-Were you outside all evening yesterday, seeing the light shows or fire works?
- Were you catching up with pals over a cuppa, enjoying the cool breeze, sitting out by the pool?
-Any chances you over ate at the pot lucks or get-together’s?
- Feeling tired like you were awake all night (obviously, what a question)

What can be better than spicy, steaming cup of garlic rasam on a cold, chilly day? Or what a way to start the new year!!!

I make rasam in my eiya sombu(lead vessel) and the whole house has the aroma of rasam if I use that sombu. And I add enough garlic while making this rasam protecting me from any lurking vampires or viruses (Thanks ISG that was perfect timing )

Ingredients for garlic rasam:

Medium sized tomato- 1

Garlic- one whole or atleast 6-7 cloves

Tamarind- lime size ball (1/2 tsp of tamarind paste if you are using paste)

Cooked tuvar dal- 1/2 cup

Rasam powder- 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Black pepper powder- one pinch

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

For tempering:

Ghee- 1 tsp

Cumin seeds- 1 tsp

Asafoetida- one pinch

Curry leaves- a few

Method:

Soak tamarind in 2 cups of warm water. Let is sit for 10 minutes and extract the juice. Keep aside.

In a saucepan (I use eiya sombu) add salt, rasam powder, turmeric powder, chopped tomato and crush them slightly using a fork or a rough mash by hand.

Add the tamarind juice and make up to 3/4th of the volume of the vessel with water. Cover and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes till some of the water has concentrated.

Mash the cooked dal with a cup of water and add it to the simmering rasam in the pot. Taste and adjust salt. Add pepper powder if required. Simmer till the dal forms a froth on top. Switch off.

Heat ghee in a tadka pan and add asafoetida and cumin seeds. When the seeds sizzle, add curry leaves and the chopped garlic. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes, till garlic turns golden brown. Pour this tadka over rasam. Serve hot with rice and any poriyals, my choice is potato kari or kathirikkai kari. A cup of this steaming hot rasam rice and a nice nap for 4 hours, best medicine ever.

And say bye-bye to cold, flu or sore throat. Gear up to celebrate the first day of 2010 like you have been ready all year. We have been welcoming the new year for the past one week, cooking recipes we have been eyeing for a long time, some traditional recipes,some new ones and some fun ones! This wonderful fun filled marathon was hosted by Nupur of One Hot stove.

Are’nt we the iron chefs? We don’t have a fully equipped kitchen, or an Infra Red stove and grill, or a fast freezing nitrogen gadget, neither do we have a sous-chef who can do the cutting and prepping work for us, yet we manage to put up a glorious show every day. And the only thing that we most definitely have is the judging part of our home made meal

I believe that even if you are offered the chance to eat food prepared by the world famous chef’s, nothing can match the taste of simple dal and rice. You travel to 100 different places, yet at the end of the day don’t you crave for a simple aloo paratha, dosa, khichdi or rice?

But the real test is, can we make a idli taste like idli and not like a bullet ..or a fluff up a roti that does not turn into a plastic sheet after few minutes..

I faced that test last year and I am talking from that experience, cooking a simple South Indian meal. And that was also due to IKE (no, don’t worry, I am not going to talk about the hurricane again). We had got our cozy nest and we had the house warming ceremony few weeks after IKE showed its force. The point is, we couldn’t find someone to gather the veggies needed, cook for the D-day and transport it for the house warming.

And our priest knew the situation and gave us a simplified list of food to cook. Nothing major- Just what you will find in a South Indian home every day. Sambar, Rice, Rasam, Dal,Poriyals, Kheer, Savory Pongal, Sweet Pongal, Vadais and Kozhukattais (modagams).

And there we were, N and I, standing near the stove in our cramped kitchen in the apartment, taking turns to cook these stuff for us and the guests for the Graha-Pravesam from 2 in the morning of the D-day. If you are wondering, no, none of our relatives were able to make it.

There was nothing special to cook, no biryanis, no baking involved, but what we think as simple food really took 5 hours to make. But seeing these dishes on the plates, all our guests oohed- and aahed and said that is what they were waiting to savor, a simple home cooked meal. And nothing can beat that compliment.

And that is what I am going to serve for the host Nupur, my fellow runners in this marathon , and our readers for the final day of the recipe marathon before we welcome the new year. Better said, we are welcoming the new year with a feast!

This feast is also for special bloggers who gave me constructive criticism when I started blogging and still keep checking on me from time to time (There, I could see that smile on the corner of the mouth), from awards to advice, thanks for your support. And because of this marathon, I got some blogging buddies and yummy recipes to try out.

Grate the carrots. Mix together a cup of milk and a cup of water. Boil the grated carrots in this till mushy, and till the milk has reduced down. Add a tablespoon of condensed milk, sugar to taste and badam-cashew power,garnish with cardamom powder and saffron. Serve chilled or warm.

Hope that was a fulfilling meal. Wishing you all a very happy, healthy and prosperous new year.

I don’t make many resolutions ‘coz I know I have to try hard to keep up

But seems like my resolution of a healthy 2010 is already in the bin and I have hit the sack before New year (Got a flu,been drowning Nyquil for the past few hours).

Couple of ideas if you are planning to be in Houston and not going to go partying

The Meenakshi temple at Pearland always has a New year program with food stalls from famous restaurants in Houston. That means everything from Pizza to Chole batura to Pav Bhaji will be available at these stalls. Sometimes, you can also pick up stuff like calendars, decorative materials etc., etc., There would also be cultural programs at the wedding hall.

BAPS- Swami Narayan Mandir had some special programs and fire works for Diwali. That fireworks show was much better and brighter than the one on July 4th!! But BAPS also has an amazing canteen (now you know why I have a food blog) and their chinese food -gobi manchoorian is one of The Best you can have.

Sugar Land is celebrating is 50th Anniversary and there is going to be a party at Sugar Land Town centre with the music and lights and it is separated into party for adults and kids at different timings in the evening.

Houston City centre is also having a band (Blues brothers tribute) and fire works!

Wherever you are, stay safe and enjoy! And do check out this space from time to time.

For folks who can read tamil and have been reading these posts on this marathon, my thank you’s in election style -” Periyorgale, Thaimargalae, Nandri, nandri”.. Meendum varuga..Vanthukitte irrunga